MPS Partners Named Finalist for 2012 Illinois Technology Association CityLIGHTS Award

13th Annual CityLIGHTS Awards honor top performers in technology whose  innovation and success drive growth in Illinois

CHICAGO, IL – April 11, 2012 – MPS Partners, a leading provider of business process management solutions, today announced it has been selected as a finalist in the 2012 Illinois Technology Association (ITA) CityLIGHTS awards. MPS Partners, which worked with nAblement on the project and is part of the SPR Companies family of companies, has been recognized in the Best Strategic Use of Technology Award category.

“It was no easy feat for the judges to determine the finalists for each award,” said ITA CEO Fred Hoch. “The past 12 months have been a time of unprecedented growth, accomplishments and innovation in Illinois, and this energy is reflected in the quantity and quality of CityLIGHTS awards nominees.”

nAblement and MPS Partners have leveraged the FuelCall™ solution, which allows drivers with disabilities the ability to hit a button at a gas station pump to alert an attendant for help refueling, to create the FuelCall Mobile application. This innovative mobile application for the Windows phone platform is used by drivers with disabilities to identify service station locations along their travel routes that have installed the functional and dignity-restoring Fuel Call system and offer the service of pumping gas. Drivers can verify hours of operation, additional services and map a route to each provider before arriving at any of these destinations.

“We have teamed up with the creator of FuelCall, Inclusion Solutions, to enable drivers with disabilities to take full advantage of the solution by easily connecting them with FuelCall stations using their Windows phone. Through the FuelCall Mobile application, we are positively impacting the lives of many drivers with disabilities, and are proud to be recognized as a CityLIGHTS finalist for Best Strategic Use of Technology,” said Bill Topel, MPS Partners president.

“MPS Partners and nAblement partnered to develop a mobile business strategy for the FuelCall application that leveraged Windows technology resources to produce a highly differentiated mobile application for drivers with disabilities. As the exclusive mobile platform, Windows Phone is sophisticated, yet very intuitive for the consumer which further enhances the app,” said Bill Topel, MPS Partners president.

The ITA received a record-setting number of nominations this year, with the ITA’s panel of judges selecting the top entries in each of nine award categories.

Online public voting concluded April 25. Winners are determined by a blended score based equally on public voting and the judges’ panel in all categories except the CityLIGHTS award, which is selected by the ITA Board of Directors.

Winners will be announced at the CityLIGHTS Awards Gala Thursday, May 10, 2012, in the Great Hall at Union Station in Chicago. The gala, which sold out last year, attracts more than 700 people from 400 organizations including business owners, investors, legislators and policymakers.

The panel of judges consists of 68 esteemed technology leaders including Dan Lyne, World Business Chicago; Patricia Anderson, Apartments.com; Howard Tullman, Tribeca Media FlashPoint Academy; Ed Domain, Tech.li; Mark Achler, Redbox; Jai Shekhawat, Fieldglass; Irv Shapiro, Ifbyphone; Lance Pressel, the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce; Roger Liew, Orbitz Worldwide; Ross Kimbarovsky, Crowdspring; and Troy Henikoff, Excelerate Labs.

There are nine award categories: The CityLIGHTS award; CEO of the Year; Technologist of the Year; the Newcomer award; the Rising Star; the Lighthouse award; the New Concept award; the Best Strategic Use of Technology award; and the Prominent Woman in Tech award, the 2012 write-in award category.

About MPS Partners
MPS Partners is a leading provider of business process management solutions that turn vision into value using Microsoft technologies. Giving focus to clients’ vision, MPS Partners offers customized, project-based solutions such as increased sales automation, process improvements and outsourcing. Visit www.mpspartners.com for more information.

About SPR Companies
SPR provides Fortune 1000 and mid-market companies with world-class technology solutions and in-demand talent through its family of companies—Redpoint Technologies, MPS Partners and TAP Group. Through its specialized Enterprise Services—Impact Insights, Social Syntax and nAblement—SPR also offers high-value IT-business alignment, social media and diversity solutions. SPR has been serving the Midwest since 1973, and is proud of its award-winning track record of helping organizations achieve critical business objectives and solve even the most complex technology challenges. Learn more at www.sprcompanies.com.

About the ITA
The Illinois Technology Association (ITA) is a driving force behind the growth of Illinois’ vibrant technology industry. We are relentless in championing the development and application of technology, from start-up companies to industry leaders, leveraging the transformative nature of technology to revolutionize industries. ITA uniquely capitalizes peer-to-peer collaboration, networking, and access to experts across the breadth of business to cultivate the Illinois technology industry. The unique and powerful integration of these valuable and experienced resources differentiates the ITA as a source of accelerated growth for the technology industry of Illinois. For more information about ITA, please visit www.illinoistech.org.

Contact the ITA at headquarters@illinoistech.org, follow the ITA on Twitter at @itabuzz and the CityLIGHTS conversation with hashtag #ITACITYLIGHTS, and visit www.illinoistech.org to find out more about how ITA supports the growth of the local industry.

Contact:
Ann Warren
ClearEdge Marketing
awarren@clearedgemarketing.com
770.328.8384